Fluid-valve-actuating mechanism.



A. F. THENER.

FLUID VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 1. 1915.

Patented May 16, 1916.

ArZhurFT/zener- A TTORNE Y.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 10., WASHlNGTON, D. c.

ARTHUR F. THENER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FLUID-VALVE-ACTEATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed December 1, 1915. SerialJlTo. 64,496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. THENER, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful I' mprovements in-Fluid- Valve-Actuating Mechanisms, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descrip; tion, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in fluid valve-actuatingmechanisms; and it consists in the novel features of construction morefully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The present improvement is directed to mechanism for actuating motor orengine valves through the instrumentality of fluids or liquids underpressure, such pressure being developed in a column or body of liquidinterposed between the valve and some movable member of the motor orengine. The use of a liquid body dispenses with mechanical connectionswhich are often undesirable and complicated, aliquid column tending notonly to materially simplify the construction of the motor as a whole butto reduce the weight and cost of the motor. A liquid connection has thefurther advantage in that it may be installed without regard to anydefinite or fixed position on the engine or motor, thereby permittingits employment in places where there would be in sufficient room toaccommodateset or rigid mechanical connections iwhose positions on theengine could not be altered.-

The advantages of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description thereof in connectionziwith the accompanyingdrawings in which.- l

Figure 1 represents an elevation of a portion of a conventional slowcombustion engine showing my invention applied to the valve controllingthe exhaust port, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged-vertical middle section of the exhaustpipe or duct showing the valve and support therefor, and an elevation ofthe liquid chamber. housing the operates; Fig. 6 is a verticalcross-section on the line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is an enlarged verticalmiddle section of the liquid chamber shown in Fig. 3,,and of thevalveactuating plunger and easing therefor housed in the chamber; Fig. 8is'an enlarged longitudinal middle sectionof thevalve-controlledterminal of the plunger-casing shown in F ig. 7 the end of the plungeragainst which the fluid or liquid operates being shown in elevation; andFig. 9 is an end view of Fig. 8, broken away in parts.

Referring to the drawings M, represents a conventional slow-combustionengine; 0, the'crank-case, S, the crank-shaft, and E the exhaust duct orpipe, as fully understood in the art,

In the present embodiment of my invention I provide the crankshaft with.a sprocket wheel 1 from which leads a sprocket chain 2 over a largersprocket wheel 3 (of twice the diameter of the wheel 1), said wheel?)being mounted on a countershaft l which is supported at the outer endsof the brackets 5 5, bolted or otherwise secured to the engine frame.The several features last described are shown :more or lessconventionally in, the drawings because well understood in the art.

walls of the liquid chamber 10, the latter being provided with flangedlegs a b cland of a design not unlike the valve-chambers or bases ofstandard governors. In the present example the chamber 10 is bolted tothe engine frame through the flange of the leg a. To theleg c is bolteda gland or fol: lower it of a stufling box well understood in the art,said stuffing box and leg c being traversed by a plunger 11 which isactuated .by the adjacent arm? of thetripping lever 8, said arm beingpreferably provided with an adjusting: screw or head m to insurepermanent contact with the outer. end of *the plunger as the screw 'orhead wears away. Secured to the flanged leg I) of the chamber 10 is theadjacent flanged terminal ,of a conduit or pipe 12 whose opposite (theupper in the present example) end is secured'to the log a of atwo-legged liquid chamber 13, the leg 6 whereof is bolted to anangle-bracket 14 whose lower, rounded terminal is interposed between theflange of the neck 6 and a perforated disk or plate 15 as clearly shownin Figs. 3 and 7. The bracket 141 is in turn secured to a bracket or arm16 bolted to the exhaust duct or pipe E. These several connections ofcourse may be changed to suit the convenience of the skilled mechanic,no claim being made thereto.

Rigidly secured between the disk 15 and neck 6 of the chamber 13, andprojecting a suitable distance into the chamber 13, is a plunger casing17 provided with a series of radially disposed relief ports 25, acrosswhose inner terminals is free to play or reciprocate in the line of theaxis of the casing 17, a plunger 18 whose outer terminal carries a head(or screw) 19 which is adapted to engage a corresponding head 20 at theadjacent terminal of a reciprocating valve-stem 21 operating freelythrough a bearing w formed with the walls of the exhaust duct E, andthrough a spider 22 spanning the intake end of said exhaust duct asfully shown in Fig. 3. The inner end of the stem 21 carries the exhaustvalve V which is normally held in its seated or closed position by theexpansion of the spring 23 coiled about the stem and confined betweenthe bearing w or wall of the eduction tube E and an adjustable cup ordisk 24 secured to the stem, the bearing w serving as a stationaryabutment for the spring, the member 2 1 operating as the movableabutment. The inner terminal wall of the casing 17 is provided with aseries of circularly disposed circulating ports or openings 0,communicating with the chamber C of the casing, the center of said wallhaving secured thereto a screwstem or bolt 25 whose inner end terminatesin a head d against which bears a washer e. Sliding freely on the stem25 and normally held in its seated position by an expansion spring 26,is a flanged disk or valve 27, the several parts just referred to beingconfined in the inner terminal chamber C of the casing 17. The diameterof the disk 27 is such that when seated or resting against theperforated terminal wall of the casing 17, the flange thereof bearsagainst said wall at points exterior to the ports 0, so that with theseated position of said disk these ports remain covered, that is to saycommunication through them between the chambers C and 13 is shut off,the uncovering of said ports being effected under conditions to bereferred to in the description of the operation of the mechanism, whichoperation is substantially as follows: Let us assume that the engine isrunning and that rotation is being imparted to the crank-shaft S. Fromthe connections previously described, two revolutions of the shaft S(corresponding to four strokes of the piston) Will impart one revolutionto the cam-shaft 4:, so that there is an exhaust of the engine everyfourth stroke of the piston. lVith each revolution of the cam-shaft a,the nose at of the cam 6 will ride over the roller 7 on the lever 8,causing the lever to be tripped as indicated by the dotted position inFig. 5, that is to say the plunger 11 will be forced inwardly or intothe chamber 10, thereby imposing pressure on the body of liquid(preferably oil) confined in and filling the members 10, 12 and 13, saidpressure being communicated through the ports 0 of the casing 17 to thedisk-valve 27 and thereby unseating the valve and compressing the spring26. Of course the chamber C of the casing 17 is filled with liquid, thelatter finding its way thereinto through the radial relief ports t (Fig.8), but this does not prevent the unseating of the disk 27 under theconditions described, because the large port area represented by the sumtotal of the areas of the ports 0 will allow the pressure imposed on theliquid body by the plunger 11 to be immediately communicated to thedisk-valve 27, causing the valve to unseat. The pressure of the liquidis thereupon exerted with full force against the inner end of theplunger 18 causing the plunger to be driven outward in which movement itovercomes the tension of the spring 23, pushes the stem 21 inwardly andunseats the exhaust valve V, thus uncovering the exhaust port normallyclosed by said valve, and permitting the exhaust gases to escape throughthe duct E.

As soon as the nose n of the cam passes off the roller 7, the trippinglever 8 is allowed to resume its original position which it does byreason of the return of the plunger 1-1 to its original position. Theplunger 11 on the other hand is forced to its original position by theaction of the spring 23 acting through the valve stem 21, the plunger18, and liquid column confined in the chambers 13 and 10, and connectingtube 12. Of course as soon as the lever 8 is released from the nose 7?.so as to render the plunger 11 inefiective, the weaker spring 26 causesthe disk-valve 27 to return to its seated position, the stronger spring23 asserting itself and exerting on the liquid column a pressure in theopposite direction, and hence forcing the plunger 11 outwardly. Underthe expanding action of the spring 23 the plunger 18 is returned to itsoriginal position, the liquid in front of the piston circulating throughthe relief ports t, t, to the main body in the chamber 13, the ports 0having been covered in the meantime by the seating of the disk 27. Thenecessary quantity of oil or other liquid is poured into the chamber-13by removing the screw plug 72, enough being poured through the openingnormally kept closed by the plug to fill the chambers 10 and 13 andconnecting tube 12. The ejecting or outward movement of the plunger 18carries it past the first row of ports t, so that as the plunger returnsto its original position, it forces the liquid through these ports andports t into the chamber 13, the openings 0 having in the mean time beencovered by the seating of the disk-valve 27. I may of course departmaterially from the details here shown without going outside the spiritand scope of the invention; and while I have here shown the applicationthereof to an exhaust valve, I may use it in connection with the livefluid intake valve or any valve whatsoever.

The purpose of the relief ports 6, t, is to allow the plunger 18 toreturn to its inner position gradually and without jar to the mechanism,their action being akin to that of a dash-pot.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a mechanism of the character described, a reciprocating plunger, acasing for housing said plunger, said casing being provided with aterminal chamber in which said plunger terminates, circulating ports orCopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe openings in the casing wall, a disk or valve covering said ports, aspring interposed between the disk and a suitable abutment for normallyholding said disk seated over the ports, a liquid chamber inclosing saidcasing and spaced therefrom, and means for periodically subjecting theliquid in said chamber to pressure operating to unseat the valve.

2. In a mechanism of the character de scribed, a liquid holding andcirculating chamber, a plunger casing confined in said chamber, aplunger operating in said casing, the latter being provided with achamber in which the plunger terminates, the plunger-casing chamberbeing provided with circulating ports for the ingress of the liquid intothe casing-chamber and with peripheral relief ports, and a springcontrolled disk or valve for normally covering the circulating ports.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR F. THENER. Witnesses:

EMIEL STAREK, ELSE M. SIEGEL.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

